excavateex‧ca‧vate /ˈɛkskəˌveɪt/ ●○○ verb [intransitive, transitive] 
1
to dig a hole in the ground2to dig up the ground in order to find something that was buried there in an earlier time: 
Archeologists are excavating an ancient city. [Origin: 1500–1600 Latin, past participle of excavare, from cavus “hollow”]—excavation /ˌɛkskəˈveɪʃən/ noun [countable, uncountable]
1 to dig a hole in the ground2to dig up the ground in order to find something that was buried there in an earlier time: Archeologists are excavating an ancient city. [Origin: 1500–1600 Latin, past participle of excavare, from cavus “hollow”]—excavation